I’m a 36-year-old native San Diegan that developed a passion for food and dining out after I got out of a long term, long-distance relationship a few years ago. It was my way to put myself out there, meet new people and participate in more social networking settings as I built a new life as a single woman.

My dining experiences eventually led to me writing reviews about it, hence my three-plus years of being a member of the Yelp website. Some 317 reviews later and I’m still trying to catch up and write reviews of my pleasant (and not-so-pleasant) dining experiences.

It would be my dream job to be a food critic/party planner, but in the meantime, I’ll keep my day job as an HR professional in La Jolla, while I moonlight as a professional-food-critic-in-training … ha, I wish!

William Bradley, executive chef at Addison

Relais & Châteaux Grand Chef William Bradley and his culinary talents have garnered significant praise since the Grand Del Mar’s signature dining venue opened in 2006. Addison is Southern California’s only Forbes Five-Star and AAA Five Diamond restaurant, and it made Esquire magazine’s list of “America’s Best New Restaurants for 2007.”

Culinary magazine StarChefs.com named Bradley a “2010 Los Angeles-San Diego Rising Star,” and his collaborative work with wine director Jesse Rodriguez on Addison’s wine program has contributed to prestigious kudos from “Wine Spectator,” “Wine & Spirits,” “Santé” and “Food & Wine.” Previously, Bradley was the executive chef of the critically-acclaimed Vu restaurant at the Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort & Spa, where he was nominated for three consecutive years for the coveted James Beard Award, “Rising Star Chef,” and was also lauded as a “Rising Star Chef for 2006” by The Arizona Republic. Bradley began his climb up the culinary ranks at Azzura Point at Loews Coronado Bay Resort in San Diego County, and then spent three years as sous chef of the award-winning Mary Elaine’s at the Phoenician in Scottsdale.

Chef Ricardo Heredia’s culinary influence spans the globe working with chefs from Italy, France, Thailand, and the Caribbean. Heredia’s food philosophy is simple; Let the products speak for themselves. Most importantly the chef focuses on the many local farms that California has to offer, and the diverse, creative dishes on the menu at South Park’s Alchemy are testament to chef Heredia’s ideals, as well as his eclectic background.

Brandon Hernández is an award-winning food and beer journalist and native San Diegan with a passion for edibles, quaffables and the culinary arts. He has served as a consultant to Food Network, assisted chefs on cookbook projects and regularly contributes to more than a dozen local and national publications including “Wine Enthusiast,” “The Beer Connoisseur,” “Celebrator Beer News,” The San Diego Union-Tribune, “San Diego Magazine,” “Pacific San Diego,” “Riviera,” “Edible San Diego” and SanDiego.com. He admits to taking food way too seriously sometimes, but is happy that scrutiny can, in the best of situations, be of great use to diners in his beloved hometown.

Jeff Josenhans, director of beverage outlets and sommelier at U.S. Grant Hotel

In his almost two years as director of outlets and sommelier for the U.S. Grant Hotel, award-winning mixologist and sommelier, Jeff Josenhans, has changed the dynamic in the hotel’s signature restaurant from simply being a classic to an exciting and sophisticated lounge and restaurant. Working with the elements that already existed, such as incredible culinary talent, Josenhans creates new events, promotions and a cocktail program that continue to earn the Grant Grill buzz in the community, the press and among its regular fans. Taking the kitchen’s farm-to-table philosophy to the bar, Josenhans creates a seasonal cocktail program that highlights ingredients being used in the cuisine in innovative and elegant cocktails.

Since 1994 when Bread & Cie first opened and introduced its vast array of specialty artisan breads, Charles Kaufman has transformed San Diego’s perception of this daily staple and surpassed customers’ expectations of casual culinary experiences. Bread is the cornerstone of the restaurant’s versatile menu, and customers are able to savor the distinctive offerings as they are surrounded by the aromatic “bread show” — bakers loading and unloading fresh-baked products from the imported stone-hearth oven.

Bread & Cie’s ongoing commitment to the highest standards of quality and dedication to excellence and the time honored traditions of artisan bread baking have garnered consistent recognition from The San Diego Union-Tribune and San Diego Reader as “Best Bakery in San Diego.” In addition, Bread & Cie. has received national accolades from The New York Times, ”National Geographic Travel,” “Vogue”, “Bon Appetit,” Zagat’s and Frommer’s. Attracting tourists and locals, the bakery/cafe has become a popular destination point as well as an integral part of the local culinary landscape, gracing the tables of many of San Diego’s finest dining establishments.

Dean Loring is the co-founder and CEO of Burger Lounge Restaurants in San Diego, California. For more than three decades, Loring has been involved with all aspects of the restaurant industry from fine dining to fast-casual operations. He founded his first restaurant in 1987. Burger Lounge was founded in 2007 and is scheduled to open its sixth location this Spring in the Gaslamp District of San Diego.

We eat out a couple of times a week, usually on weekends, but it depends on what’s happening. Places we go a lot: JRDN (LOVE, LOVE the mussels!), Mille Fleurs, Bertrand’s, El Biz, Market, Cavaillon, Costa Brava, El Vitral, Masuo’s, Edamami, Flemings (yes … chain, I know, but it’s my favorite steak place), The Field.

There’s a lot of places that we have tried, but these are the some of the ones we seem to rely on. We are a maybe a little unique … we are not really food snobs (I grew up in the Normal Heights area and know a lot of the hole-in-the-wall spots in the ’hood and I don’t have to have a waiter in a tux serving me), but we do usually plan our vacations around food destinations. My wife did a half-ironman up in Sonoma so we, of course, ate at The French Laundry one day and celebrated her finish at Gary Danko. A couple of weeks ago we were in Vegas and our itinerary was scheduled around food. We’ve driven to L.A. just because we were in the mood for something. I sound like a psycho!

One of the significant driving forces in our dining choices ends up being wine. We have a cellar of about 1,800 bottles and enjoy wine as much as food. Can you really have one without the other?! So sometimes we choose a restaurant based on the wine we are in the mood for.

Gerald “Dex” Poindexter, publicist, avid diner

Gerald “Dex” Poindexter (geraldpoindexter.com) is a lifestyle publicist and media strategist with a focus on restaurants, hotels and real estate. A former U-T arts and travel contributor, Dex also has a music presence and was recently proclaimed “San Diego’s hottest DJ,” by a local publication. His favorite foodie journeys have taken him to Montreal, New Orleans and Madrid, where he swears he had the best Chinese meal of his life. During moments of culinary contemplation, Dex sometimes decries San Diego’s lack of serious independent bagelrys, but otherwise, feels our town is a casual dining mecca.

Twenty-nine years of hotel and restaurant cooking experience, including as a chef owner, consultant and cooking class instructor, formally trained in the South of France and Paris. Part of the French Presidential chef team in 1985, currently a private chef in the Rancho Santa Fe area. I had the opportunity to work for world class San Diego restaurateurs in the likes of Bertrand Hug of Mister A’s, Mille Fleurs, as well as Tracy Borkum from Cucina Urbana. Food will always be a great passion of mine, preparing it and even more so eating it!

Susan Russo is a freelance food writer, cookbook author, recipe developer and blogger. In addition to publishing stories, recipes and photographs on her popular food blog, Food Blogga, Susan is a regular contributor to NPR’s “Kitchen Window.” Her work appears in magazines such as “Cooking Light” and “Edible San Diego” as well as many online sources, including The Chicago Sun-Times. Her first cookbook, “Recipes Every Man Should Know,” was released in November 2010, and her second book, “The Encyclopedia of Sandwiches Recipes, History, and Trivia for Everything Between Sliced Bread,” will be released in April 2011 (Quirk Books). Russo enjoys hiking, searching for “Mad Men” dress, drinking craft beer and buying purple-colored produce at any of the 40-plus farmers markets in San Diego.

David Salisbury, a law firm’s director of business development, avid diner and U-T Superdiner.— Nelvin C. Cepeda

+Read Caption

David Salisbury, a law firm’s director of business development, avid diner and U-T Superdiner.
— Nelvin C. Cepeda

David Salisbury, a law firm’s director of business development, avid diner

David Salisbury is the director of business development at the law firm Mintz Levin, where he is responsible for managing the firm’s California branding and business development efforts. His appetites include haute technique, Cali-French cuisine, and big-bodied reds. Salisbury is always on the hunt for the hot new spots with great food and drinks to entertain prospective as well as existing firm clients.

Spurgin is obsessive about food, already imagining dinner during breakfast, and never happier than having spent a goodly amount of time (and sometimes money) over a long lingering lunch. Born a few thousand years too late to become a Legatus Legionis, he commands a kitchen instead, using passion and education as his weapons in the battle for sustainable, responsible food sources.

I was in the food and wine industry for many years. I was employed at the Chart House for 15 years and worked at many locations throughout California. After CH, I had my own catering business before I embarked into the commercial real estate industry. I currently am a Broker that specializes in restaurant/retail tenant representation throughout San Diego and Orange County, assisting with site selection and lease negotiations. I am always on the look out for up and coming chefs/restaurants that are looking to open their first restaurant, or expanding into other submarkets.

Do you remember Crescent Heights Kitchen & Lounge? Chef David McIntyre worked at Spago for many years and wanted to open his own restaurant in San Diego. I negotiated their lease on Broadway and unfortunately they opened the day the market crashed. They were voted Best New Restaurant in “San Diego Magazine” and McIntyre won “Chef of the Fest” and then they closed due to the economy.

Other restaurants/chefs I have negotiated on their behalf are Oceanaire Seafood Room, Urbane Cafe, Sushi Freak, Dolce Pane e Vino, Pappalleco, a variety of bakeries and many others. I truly seek out the small, out-of-the-way unknown spots (similar to my winery preference, under 1,000 case production and mostly cabs). Some of my favorites are Q’ero, Spread, Urban Solace, Blue Ribbon Artisan Pizzeria and Dolce Pane e Vino. On the more well known side, I enjoy Amaya, Searsucker, Market and Addison.

I shop most Farmer’s Markets and seek the latest and greatest farm to table menus when I dine out, which is often. I do attend an Outstanding in the Field’s dinner yearly. I travel to Napa quite often (we got married there) and have dined at most of their restaurants, as well as many in L.A. and Orange County.

I love being in the know about up-and-coming restaurants/chefs and am the “go to” person among my friends and co-workers when they are looking for a specific dining experience.

Bill Sysak, or “Dr. Bill,” as he’s known in the inner circle of craft-beerdom, is a master of zymurgical knowledge and general beer wizardry. A certified cicerone and collector of rare beers, his personal cellar currently houses more than 1,400 bottles. In 2009, he joined Stone Brewing Company as the beverage supervisor for Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens. He puts on unparalleled beer and food pairing events and has become one of the most knowledgeable craft beer experts in the industry. He has been a connoisseur of craft beer, fine wine and spirits for more than 33 years.